How Labour lost, and the hope that endures | Anywhere but Westminster 

isn't that every politician as well, though?

Thornberry, Starmer, Corbyn a tight little London clique engaged in student politics. How do such people get to the top of Labour?

Champagne socialists at their finest

Delusional Islingtonians

Well that's exactly what happened on Election Day.

Of course not. Neither you nor I are allowed in Whitehall, Wapping Newscorp or the Stock Exchange without the correct validated security pass.

Or how they should feel

@@adamsmith307 Yes, all those rich privileged people up North...haha

The Labour party is the party of the smug, upper-middle class university educated "socialist" who has nothing but sneering disdain for the historic labour voter.

Exactly. Students.

Still a long way to go

Im not sure they are.

They put all their focus and energy on securing the young vote with their outrageous policies and buzz word crammed speeches knowing they are naive enough to believe it. Totally forgot about everyone else though and paid for it. You can now truly see the delusion that runs through the party with how they are unable to come to terms with the genuine reasons and failures that have lead to what’s labours worst result in almost 85 years.

savage but true!

Agreed, but that ratio is falling day by day as every new voter will have some sort of online presence.

"Yeah, totally"

And this is something they can't grasp.

The most insightful political commentary I've heard years.

I got permanently banned from twitter, you’ve got to sing the same songs to be a twitter member otherwise your comments are removed and eventually you get banned.

They got more than they deserve they shouldn’t have any seats at all the communists

@Hans Hummer It seems like a lesson not learned as well from the excuses made and Corbyn not resigning straight away. Likely a Corbynista will take over from him and eventually Labour will not be main opposition.

It was the modern political equivalent of being whipped naked through the streets

It reminded me of when Loki got spanked by The Hulk.

It was justice.

Wonder how many are regretting that conservative and brexit vote these days. Not working out to well for the UK these days.

the working class man and women from yesterday year is getting smaller, they have gone lower middle class now, holidays abroad, second car, house extensions, second homes even etc....yes this country has problems but overall people are better off....I come from a working class family (Dad was a truck driver, Mum a cleaner) Yet I bought my house, run a van and car, we holiday twice a year, and had COVID not stepped in we are looking to buy a holiday let in Florida....the working class image is from a different age. If Labour want to be elected again then center left is the only option just ask Blair 🤷

the white working class

@@DUCATEA absolutely spot on. The working class hasn't been the majority for decades. It is the lower middle class that decides the government, and the Tories are much better at listening to what they (we) want.

It was the biggest and most ambitious manifesto for working people that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The "Labour have abandoned the working class" schtick was a con, it always will be a con. And if you fell for it, and voted for Boris and his smash grab job on public money because he said "Get Brexit done" well I guess you got conned too.

@@DUCATEA Blair wasn't really Centre Left , he was a pure Centrist masquerading as Centre Left. Regardless of his political views , purely as a person he is piece of excrement.

sonofeast11 you are 100% right we’ll get our people back

Go to a private school. Lots of labourites who are very like this.

sonofeast11 by nature English people are social conservative even the staunch labour voter in those mining communities are Christian conservatives... we’ll take our Labour Party where it belongs we are not gonna give up now

@@joecramp2987 sinister

@@rodrigorodders7173 THe party gave up on you by desiring to replace you with foreigners. You wanna be THAT beaten of a housewife?

I can't believe Labour thought that saying they would set up a committee to investigate British history and identify if we need to pay compensation to any countries for anything that happened during the British empire would do anything other than alienate proud British working class people.

@@seamuskirkpatrick1 Patriotism, self-reliance, family, and to keep what you earn. To name a few.

Myus, could you please explain what so-called "history", "traditions" and "bonds" English people share? I genuinely am an adult who has no idea about the history and traditions of my own nation and am definitely not just asking this question in bad faith, feigning ignorance because I want to bait you into saying something that I can deliberately misconstrue in order to accuse you of racism or anything. **Ruffles Guardian quite smugly as he relishes the thought of his incredibly clever plan**

@@Mister.Weatherbee ... While not having to pay for schooling, doctor's appointments, surgery, the filling of potholes. To name a few a caveats.

@@SO-SOgood those are not "values". That's not part of a person's value structure. It's just social welfare.

Low key trying to shame him.

@@tlome8033 Excellent analysis. You are totally correct.

I don't disagree. What I don't understand is why a disaffected Labour voter would actively vote Conservative rather than abstaining/spoiling their ballot or voting for the Greens or a local independent?

Nailed it. Permission to copy and cite your name.

Philip Harper Possibly bc it would amount to being the same thing. A “non-voting” Labour voter is a vote for the more popular party.

@@pvm6732 I don't think I follow. Correct me if I'm wrong but these people haven't just decided they support The Conservative Manifesto (or have they, is that what I'm missing?). My understanding is that they are disaffected with Labour and not suddenly pro Tory. So why not vote for a party that is closer to their beliefs or spoil their ballet? I have heard people on the radio saying they voted Conservative but were gutted when they heard the result?

@@filusmaximus They in many cases did. The Brexit Party most certainly assisted the Tories in breaking the Red Wall but there was also a considerable shift for the Tories. For these traditional left and working-class voters in Labour strongholds feelings of Euroskepticism are very strong. Combine Corbyn's indecisiveness on a stance on Brexit with the Tory manifesto being a departure from the Thatcherite feelings that have dominated the party since the '80s and a return to a more Harold Macmillian-esque interventionism and economic populism and it was the perfect storm for this historic result. Much like the American Rust Belt these areas had been abandoned by the governments of both major parties and the party that dominated these regions (Labour in the Midlands, Northeast and Northwest, Democrats in the Rust Belt) had really only paid lip service to these communities as they continued to decline. This decline predates the last decade of Tory administration as another commenter was unable to understand why these voters would vote Tory knowing that. It goes back to Thatcher and Blair. In the end, they (in my opinion correctly) associated their decline with neoliberal policies of both parties which are also associated with membership in the EU. One too many betrayals and indecisive policy points on Brexit did this to Labour. If Jeremy Corbyn had stuck with the left Euroskepticism he had so many years ago and still probably has at heart, this result would have been different.

Cubeh if they’re clear, the Labour Party did nothing to connect to those reasons or those people.

What he really meant was we need to persuade people they were wrong for voting brexit

Ironically Corbyn was always opposed to the EU, so I've read, but whatever. He probably saw this sort of resentment of the EU over the horizon, but the Labour members are largely remain. Ten years on this country will be different again. Most of the Brexit crowd will be dead and gone, and the thirty somethings that are full on Labour will be in middle age....

@@SEAL341 generally people grow up and out of left wing politics once they understand what life is all about so today's labour vote has always been tomorrow's Tory vote.

Mr. Braddock I’m 30 now and detest Labour. They’ve made me a minority in my own city. You’re deluded to put it politely. I would never vote Labour!

Jess Phillips?Starmer as no 2?

@@jbagger331 Usually Phillips is articuate.

Check out the For Britain party led by Anne Marie Waters. Common sense, new ideas and very courageous

There is almost nothing worth reading on the Guardian's website this week.

Andrew Blake true

Did you know that you can get gift aid on your Guardian subscription because it is a charity? It is set up to provide employment to journalists who cannot get work in newspapers which are financially successful.

@@billgiles3261 that needs to be challenged. Charities are forbidden from political campaigning. The purpose of the charity is in its constitution or Articles of Association.

Henry Law I am sorry that my pathetic attempt at humour failed to please you. So just for you: “I wonder if you can get gift aid on your Guardian subscription, because it looks like a charity seeking donations to provide employment for journalists who cannot get employment in newspapers which actually make a profit.”

who you calling a sick old man. not very nice

Will this is how you extract the causes of his voting as journalist

Could’ve asked if he needed anything.

Too late

@Alice Rabbit my grandfather fought for the British Crown. He was drafted from Belize and served in Asia during ww2. Does he not deserve UK citizenship because he is black? You literally had millions of Indians and Afro-Caribbean people's fighting your wars.

@Alice Rabbit well, if I'm fighting for a country, dont I deserve to reap some their benefits? Belize lacks post graduate school. Belize doesn't have the population and resources as the uk. Most of the foreigners(mainly British and Canadians) are buying up property which in turn causes the cost of living to increase. P.S. The allies won WW2.

Against the Chinese in the sweet shops.

@Arfur Fuxxakes er...I've no idea what they were thinking. EU freedom of movement means that they couldn't if they wanted to. If you want Immigration from Africa and Asia, have a word with Angela Merkel who decided to open europes gates to anyone without thinking to ask. At the very least, People could (after brexit) actually hold their own politicians accountable - Imagine that !

Yes, Labour delayed the election and now they moan about it.

pik nick a lot of potential labour voters can’t register because they’re fiddling benefits

5

And, most importantly, a strong leader. Like it or not, Corbyn has not been a strong leader.

Its the young of that country I feel for. I never seen old people as self centered and greedy like those in the UK. They had every benefit the state could throw at you. Free NHS, social housing, university grant. Now they deny those same rights to others.

They're a nationalist party, at the end of the day that's their appeal. The Tories leaving the EU is in essence a nationalist party. When you figure this out, and mix it with left wing economics you tend to be really popular.

Because they are nationalists and rely on Scottish identity. Labour hates Britain and britains identity

@@1gadena lol if you live outside London the last 10 years, you should probably hate who's been giving you crumbs and not investing in your local services while jobs move outside the country. Key you should hate the Tories for failing to invest in anywhere but London. Hopefully this ends under Boris but I doubt it.

@Bessie Hillum Two years no and the only things that have changed is, Corbyn is a none entity, and his replacement is a failed lawyer also a none entity.

Yes. Brilliant! He has no chip on his shoulder. He votes out of aspiration rather than a grudge. And the interviewer just doesn't understand him at all and comes out with rubbish about the NHS. Turns out that Labour have just as many NHS scandals as the tories do.

@@loopbackish wasn't the interviewer's point more that labour are more likely to provide the safety net from which a poor and unwell person like him can start climbing towards his aspirations, as opposed to the tories who are more likely to cut it?

TomYeeha not anymore. And Corbyn would just make the whole country very very poor

@@domzbu No, he wouldn't have and you know that. The man at the end's opinions were misinformed and largely ignorant but I don't really blame him for that with the landscape we live in

@@francisr8563 I bet you pretend not to see when Thorrnberry coasts by in the back of her Bentley swigging champagne.

to keep the public docile and uninformed.

@@MrMmnngghh just accept the result mate, we need to move on together. That's how democracy works.

And many wanted to leave Europe because "they didn't know who their MEP was"...

@@IDK-eu7dv I don't live in Britain anymore. I did during most of the eighties, all of the nineties, and the first little bit of the new millennium. Britain's chance at a bright future came at the point when Major handed over to Blair; on reflection, Major was a mostly decent chap with a lack of personality and a terrible cabinet, especially Lamont. Blair started off like a rocket then got dragged into U.S. foreign policy shenanigans, then it was downhill through from Brown to Cameron to May to Johnson. The sad part is, is that there a plenty of talented, articulate, thoughtful, resilient and proactive people in England. From all walks of life and social strata. Unfortunately that doesn't sit well with the institutions and corporations, both domestic and overseas, that run the show behind the curtains, so it's back to divide and conquer again.

@@MrMmnngghh ok boomer

Terrible ideas should be forgotten however.

Unfortunately they voted for BoJo, though.

Not all ideas change the world for the better.

Was that Stalin or Lenin ? Hitler maybe ?

And all these years later, millions of deaths later, ~half dozen collapsed economies/countries later, people like Corbyn advocate the socialist ideas that are currently destroying Venezuela. Sometimes, it's for the worse.

This.

Boris Johnson 😂?

But where are all those British doctors, when I've been in hospital they're immigrant doctors treating white British people.

@@chriswatson3464 because the NHS has swamped with foreign doctors they has no incentive to train up native labour anymore by governments sadly

Hear, hear.

Exactly, which is why right to buy was VERY popular amongst the working class

Maybe that's why he always holds the camera wonky ;)

He has heart.

Hans Hummer house prices have risen 61% relative to economy and I’m self employed. I have confidence on these fronts. Recession in Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal don’t warrant too much worry either.

@Hans Hummer House prices need to come down. Although they probably wont.

Another reason i voted Conservative. I want to keep my hard earned money. That's a fair society, through education and opportunity. That's the path out of poverty.

@@craig581 how dare you wish to look after your future generations' financial well being.

You want to keep your own money and give it to your children rather than that guy? Racist!!!! (sarc)

It is not really your money. It is the pocket money that the government allows you to keep. It is just that Labour is a mean parent, taking money away from the hard working to give to the idlers, the fiddlers and the feckless.

WanoLab….so is inside London believe me..... !

That world's called England

They think more socialist ideas are the answer. Labour needs to swing back to the centre, or face annihilation.

Fabianism was a bad idea.

Jose Olivares LWEP

A great result. No point in Labout looking at themselves. They all wear rose tinted spectacles.

You know they won't. They'll just double down and claim they had won the argument all along. A leftist will never, EVER admit he's wrong.

We all know that if the left loses then its rigged. I mean just look at twitter. Lol

They even closed more pits than thatcher too

Actually it was MacMillan then Douglas-Hume in charge when the process began. Dr Richard Beeching was hired to produce a plan that would save fortunes on British railways. He proposed axing a third of the network and this was implemented under Wilson. The irony is that within a very few years a mixed diesel-electric system could have been in place, replacing coal and avoiding the 'dash for cars'. Beeching actually saw road transport as modern, efficient and clean. Strange how the world turns.

It was WW2 that did for the railways - allied to a post war dependency on steam traction to keep the NUM and ASLEF happy.

@David McCallum as I said - 'this was implemented under Wilson'. Are you an echo or just one of those who don't actually read what you comment on? Is your voice really so important?

JTR And Labour left Leavers and the British working class.

@Nathan-DTS Socialism isn't far left now? My how has the overton window shifted. People love "socialism" on its face because it looks like 0 cost charity, until the people realize what they're paying through taxes and what industry the government takes over, and inevitably stagnates.

@Nathan-DTS You also have loads of people coming in, many of whom can't possibly pay as much back into the system, straining the funding. Ever notice the NHS deficit going up as immigration does?

Not sure the leavers left Labour, more Labour left the leavers. If you voted out, you were slotted into the racist bigot narrative. You were "gammon" and your opinions were irrelevant. I think Corbyn is a well intentioned man who has been screwed by his own naivity and the childishness of some of those within the party and supporting him. It's a shame but it was inevitable.

You labelled half your voting base gammon, shut down any cries about mass immigration as the talk of "facists", the entirety of your front bench had the benefit of private education while looking to remove the opportunity for everyone else, the list goes on....The Labour party is tone deaf. Champagne socialists.

Adam Le Bree you have learnt nothing from the results. London centric? Have you not noticed that Labour is now an elitist London centric party?

@@ladyfemi4288 I never mentioned the Labour Party? I was praising the journalistic discourse of the ABW series while hoping they will continue to show the damage being done around the country.

@@ladyfemi4288 The Conservatives are an elitist London centric party.

@@MrMmnngghh That's not true, and you know it. They wouldn't have got that vast majority if that was true, this is coming from someone that wanted to vote Labour. Only people that vote Labour seem to be us, the youth and those who have vowed to never vote Tory.

@@MrMmnngghh Most of London was red as well dude, I just don't understand ...

Scubasausage let’s see how that works out for you

@@kaspermichaels2520 salty

Read Dr David Owen's take on the E U and the NHS there are massive european medical company's waiting to carve it up. The enemy's of the NHS are closer than you think.

I wondered where he was going with it.......”Leave voters did it for labour reasons like the NHS”.......wait what.

Forgive me but I don't see the point in revolting against the opposition. They've not contributed any to the problems of modern Britain and they continually get the blame. Now it's for us to suffer another 5 years.

Callum Pritchard Labour isn’t working class enough and in too few places.

@@jonathancooper4914 This could the be revival of One Nation Conservatism, sensible politics for all class

Let's see after 5 years of inevitable broken Tory promises how that'll stand up...

these days labour is for the non working class

It's not over until Greta sings!

martynblackburn1977 she sang her first tune by admitting that the school strikes were ineffective.

Murdoch poison

@@mykehog6646 The right wing press pretty much manufactured consent for Johnson

@@Flannel535 cognitive impairment and cognitive dissonance are separate. What one in your opinion, do you show the obvious signs of having?

Tory Knobheads

@Nathan-DTS - Lack of empathy for the working class is exactly why your commies lost.

Symbioticism only getting the Labour Party out of London will fix it.

@@jonathancooper4914 I agree with that, the coalition starts outside of London and then slightly nuances to pick up those easy metropolitan votes inside London. Not the other way around.

Very naive. As a Conservative I believe in democracy so we do need a strong opposition to keep us on our toes. Not going to get it from those 'children'. Very very naive.

Really? Then you'll be impressed by the video thats doing the rounds from the protest last night of a girl wishing BJ to die a slow and horrible death.... She wants to be a Doctor..... What do you think about that?

@Realist 1801 Those strikes were people fighting for a livelyhood, and they got zero support from the government. I was there too!

Likewise, guardian comments section is a gold mine

Can't spell what you want to make fun of lol

TOTAL FREEDOM You lost lad.

Look where they live, the prison isn't just in their mind.

@@Jimmy4video it's not a prison. In some ways it's worse. At least in prison you're guaranteed food and shelter.

@@2020_Visi0n yeah but you have less chance of getting stabbed in prison.

Its only a prison if you build it yourself reap what you sow UK

Give it a rest will ya?? They are probably in the pub having a few beers!! Prison? Never read such fantasist drivel

Well said....I agree with all of that.

Dave Lee carry on with your co-ops and grassroots and collectivism, it’s not gonna get you anything other than a bookshop or a whole food shop on the high street.

Collectivism, at any and all costs, is exactly why Labour (and the American Democrat party) have failed and will continue to fail. Willful ignorance, blame, elitism, and gross lack of self-awareness.

Labour are now kids, Commies and the CBI.

A very decent person, she.

thats what obombas aids said in the usa....

@@uttaradit2 Who is obomba?

@@honved1 Joe Biden's president My Boss.

So where are the working class going, now? On the dole.

dont forget facebook, as the election loomed and looked on dodgy ground for labour suuport ,,,,the activists went into hyper rhetoric mode 10-----really hard to pull up support when a fanatical student is openly calling you a c###----they could,nt get their point across with normal discourse so resorted to the lowest form of lanuage to try and bully there way through a very hard manifesto balls up

@Daniel, did you even read what Andrew Smith wrote?

That sounds like a South Park caricature of a Labour meeting.

Let me put it another way to you Chris, these people think they represent the working class, but when they ask what the working class and they say for example immigration control, they ignore the working class. Well if you dont agree with what the working class desire then you dont by default support/represent the working class do you. You dont get to choose what the working class want and desire.

First Name Completely agree.

Rad McCool as far left as Rupert Murdoch is willing to go

@@neilbarton5235 Rupert Murdoch had nothing to do with it. The truth is working class labour votes have always been patriotic, nationalistic socially conservative voters. Labour used to represent that. Since it got taken over by London Elites, its alienated its core vote.

Harold Wilson?

@@nevermind824 - absolutely spot on. After Gordon Browns encounter with that "bigotted woman" . They still chose not to listen...why would they when Momentum had all the answers !

Neil Barton all the media’s fault. Ridiculous.

So funny because it is so true lol

There was never any EU ‘sovereignty’. But what britain has chosen is mediocrity and a dead-end future.